


Salvation

by AzhaLambrin



Series: If You Can Save Me (Star Wars: Reylo Series) [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Badass Rey, Dark Rey, Darth Rey - Freeform, Emotional Manipulation, Eventual Romance, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Hux/Rey pairing, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Internal Conflict, Kylo Ren Redemption, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Reylo - Freeform, Reylofest, Slow Burn, Star Wars References, The Last Jedi - Freeform, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, don't fight the love, double agent, redemption arc, slowest of slow burns, song lyrics included
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 01:39:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13179648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzhaLambrin/pseuds/AzhaLambrin
Summary: This is where the darkness begins.Rey had a moment of weakness and it became her downfall.Now that she's joined the First Order, Ben Solo must keep up the act of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren to keep her safe--and in check--until he figures out a way to bring her back to the light.But with the growing strength from the Dark Side, will he be able to help Rey overcome it?





	1. the other

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> "You are the snowstorm. I'm purified.  
> The darkest fairytale in the dead of night."
> 
> -Salvation, Gabrielle Aplin
> 
> WELCOME TO THE FIRST PART OF DARTH REY!  
> 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Dark Rey begins, the light one ends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "When there's nothing quite wrong but it don't feel right,  
> Either your head or your heart, you set the other on fire."
> 
> -The Other, Lauv.

His eyes wouldn’t leave her hand, clutching his lightsaber to her side.

She still refuses to give it back and he couldn’t help but smirk at how that defiant part of her remained despite her transformation. The troopers said nothing, they never did. They were mindless to some but to Ben, they were the exact opposite. They were mindful of their words, careful of their actions. One wrong move could mean the garbage chute.

Rey led him to his command shuttle, making him ask where his first one ended up in. She only shrugged with a teasing smile on her face, probably from not actually remembering anything. What stood next to him was a semblance of a person he almost knew. It was the dream—the nightmare—in the flesh.

“You have to teach me how to make my own,” she says as the shuttle’s door closes. “That’s the only way you’re ever getting yours back.”

“I have to teach you quickly then,” he replies in the same carefree tone. “I am going to need it if I’m to intimidate the officers—and Hux.”

“He’s afraid of you as it is,” she pointed out. “Force choke him, and he’ll be begging on his knees— _again_.”

Ben laughs and Rey smiles, completely oblivious to how nervous she was making him. The shuttle arrives in the aircraft hangar and as soon as the ramp descended, all heads turned in their direction.

Rey was quick to lead, as if she had always belonged here. It unsettled Ben greatly but he exerted effort not to show it.

The disapproval was not his alone apparently as General Hux marched towards them with his eyes narrowed and his mouth set in a firm line.

“What is this?” He demanded, unable to contain it any longer. “Why is the girl still alive, Ren? You’re not wallowing in sentiment now—”

Hux choked immediately, falling on the floor. He stretched out his hand to Ben, but he only looked down at him.

“REN!” He screamed in agony.

Calm and reserved as he always was, he replied. “I’m not doing anything.”

They watched as it dawned on Hux that Rey had him right at the tip of her fingers. No one tried to stop her though, despite his protests.

“Try to speak that way to either of us again, you will barely realize you’re dead until you’ve been discarded out of this ship and into the vacuum of space. Do you understand?”

There was anger, then confusion—and finally, compliance. Hux nodded.

“Good,” Rey pipes up, letting him go. “Should I lead myself to your quarters or will you do the honors?” She asks Ben.

He was genuinely surprised that his brows shot up way too high. “What?”

“My clothes are getting too much attention,” she explains. “And besides, if I’m siding with you, I might as well look the part.”

_I’m not still dreaming, am I?_ He wanted to ask but it seemed foolish. Rey wasn’t herself. This was the version of her that was cultivated in the dark; arrogant, cold, vain…

_But she caves in to me_ , he noted. She’s looking up to him. He knew he can use that to his advantage. But he must play it smart. He can’t have her drawing away from his influence if he’s to bring her back.

“Ben?”

He snaps back to attention, looking down at her seemingly innocent face. It almost fools him into believing she’s here again, the real Rey. But he immediately shakes it off.

“Please,” he says, leading the way.

She follows him close behind, staring ahead. She’s been on this ship enough times to not gawk at the details, or so Ben thinks. She almost beats him to his door, smiling as she remembered how he complained about it not opening.

“Did I fix it?” She asks, cheerily and it confuses him for a moment. But then she shifts again, and her gaze falls to her feet. She bites at her lip and a whimper escapes her. “Ben—”

“What is it?” He demanded quietly, letting himself touch her arms. He looks around the hall to see if there were any on lookers but so far, they were safe. “Rey.”

“Nothing, I’m sorry,” she replies quickly, breathless. “I thought I…”

“What?”

“It was nothing,” she says again. “Show me in.”

His eyes didn’t wander off from her as he opened the doors, watching carefully if somehow, she would slip from this façade and wake up. But the distant girl was back in her place and she stepped inside his quarters as one would do for the first time. She was detached.

“It’s not really special, is it?” She teases.

“No,” Ben admits. “Not really.”

Hearing their voices, the porg they found in the basement resurfaces, rushing towards its master. It flaps its wings and makes a shrill sound of excitement, startling Rey. Ben watched her still, looking for a sign of kindness…or recognition. He was slowly putting the pieces together of how the darkness was working in her.

When Rey ignored the creature, and looked at him pointedly, he knew that he was right. Whatever it is that’s holding Rey captive, it was making her forget any impression of the life she’s had—or at least the good ones, what Ben considers to be the good memories.

“You should really dispose that in a garbage chute,” she comments. “It’s loud and unappealing. It’s not even cute.”

The Dark Side had completely washed over her.

“He’s my pet,” he says, a little too quickly. “Besides, you won’t be staying in my quarters. Or is that what you’re suggesting?”

“No,” she replies, nonchalant. “I think I’ll stay in Hux’s room.”

Ben almost loses his tongue. “What?”

But then she grins, a tease. “I’m sure there are a lot of empty quarters in your Finalizer, _Supreme Leader_. It won’t be a problem to find me one now, will it?”

“Of course not,” he assures her, relieved that she was only kidding about Hux. He may be an annoying statue of military power with no sense of humor or humanity but that’s exactly what makes him dangerous.

“There is an unoccupied chamber just a door down from here.”

“Good,” and she smiles, walking towards his closet. “I’ll change there and meet you in the hall. Then we can go to work.”

Ben tried not to look confused. “And…what work will that be?”

With no hint of compassion or memory, she says in a clear and placid tone, “Destroying the Resistance.”  


	2. wildfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben is on the precipice of uncovering the key to Rey's salvation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "When you sold the world your soul,  
> it turned away.  
> And it's promise left you empty and unchanged.  
> It breaks me now to see you hurt this way.  
> From the dust you've been made beautiful."
> 
> -Wildfire, Vancouver Sleep Clinic
> 
> *better if you read 'the darkest star' before this chapter but also cool if you don't*

Ben had been waiting in the hall for more than an hour now.

When he started to worry though, she resurfaced, pulling at the makeshift pants she had made from his robes. Her clothes looked similar to the ones she used to wear. Ben could easily guess that she made those too and with his robes being too big, she had enough material to make it the same style.

He almost smiled. She really was a scavenger.

As Rey looked up at him, there was this burning fire in her eyes. It was small, a mere spark. But it was there. Ben could feel the pull, yet he was certain it wasn’t from the Force. It was from Rey herself. She was drawing him to her like a moth to a flame.

“Look what I found,” she says, holding up her hands.

This time, he couldn’t resist smiling. “You wore them.”

The gloves he gifted her for Christmas, a long-standing tradition they had spent together only a week ago, were black and cut from the same material of his military uniform. He had guessed her size correctly and they fit perfectly. Everything in her ensemble made her look like a true leader of the First Order. She could’ve been born here, and it wouldn’t be a surprise.

_BEN!_

Her voice, her _inner_ voice, called out to him while her façade remained smiling, unalarmed, and gazing at her hands.

Ben cannot mistake her voice, her _real_ voice.

_Help me, Ben!_

When Rey looked up at him, she raised her brow, challenging him. He mustn’t be fooled. The Rey in front of him now isn’t the same one he’d met in Takodana. Snoke once said that killing Han Solo might be his hardest test yet. He’s starting to doubt that now. Saving Rey from the darkness and resisting the person that she is now can be just as difficult. She could bring them both down into a spiral that they wouldn’t survive.

“Should we move on now? I don’t think we have all day,” she says, sounding a bit impatient.

Ben nodded and started walking, letting her keep up with his pace. “What exactly do you have in mind?”

“With the Resistance?”

“Yes.

“There aren’t many of them left,” she reminded him. “If we track them down, and that would be easy, we can easily diminish their pods—and the Falcon. I’ll let you have that one.”

“Kind of you,” he grumbled.

“What? I thought I was being generous,” she remarked, disappointed.

Ben looks down at her and sees that little crinkle on her forehead. He touches it, straightening the crease, and made her look up at him.

“Do you really want to do this?”

She paused, hesitating.

Ben hoped she would change her mind. She didn’t.

“Yes, I really do.”

“Alright, then,” he said, sighing. “I just thought you would like to save them for later.”

“What else could be more important?” Rey demanded like a petulant child. “We can’t let them regroup, Ben. If they start to raise numbers again, the probability of defeating them would be lower.”

“Your training, for one, is of greater importance.”

“My training?” And she couldn’t sound more offended.

“You haven’t had proper training for this side of the war, Rey,” he says sternly.

“What more is there?” She snaps. “I switched sides!”

“Exactly,” he replies. “You’re a traitor to the Resistance. That means you are programmed to how they would think.”

“Isn’t that an advantage?”

“Yes. But there is more to the Dark Side than renouncing the enemy.” Ben knew this better than anyone. He also knew that he had to stall her if the Resistance was going to make it out alive—at least for the time being.

Rey narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re not just saying this because you think I’ll do a better job than you are at taking down the rebels, are you?”

“Of course not,” he reassures her. “We’re fighting for the same cause now. There is no competition.”

She smiled, and it wasn’t like the warm ones he imagined. It made his skin crawl just looking at it. “We’ll see about that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Rey opened the doors to the command center. Hux was standing in the middle, looking around the other officers, watching their every move. Raising her brows one last time at Ben, she sashays towards the General.

 _What is she up to now?_ Ben wondered, clenching his jaw.

“General Hux,” she calls as formally as she could. “Is there any update on the location of the Resistance?”

Hux glances at Ben with an annoyed look and stares back at Rey. Clearing his throat, he replies steadily. “As of now, there is none.”

“What will you do to remedy that?” She questions with an intimidating gaze.

It only annoyed Hux even more. He turns to Ben again and raises his brow. Ben only shakes his head slowly, realizing what Rey is trying to do. She’s trying to show them who’s in-charge. But she’s about to be very disappointed.

The General could do nothing but give a response. “We’re calling out to bounty hunters who might have information. We’ve also sent scouts to different systems to try and identify Resistance fighters personally.”

“Has any reported back yet?”

Hux rolls his eyes. “If they had, we wouldn’t be having this conversation now, would we? Seriously, Ren, control your pet!”

Instead of choking him again, Rey looks pointedly at Ben. “So, I’m your pet now?”

“You wanted to see who’s leading here. You’ve got your answer,” he says as he approaches them. “You already called me your Supreme Leader once. It won’t hurt to do it again,” he teases.

“I was teasing!” She crosses her arms across her chest and narrows her eyes again. “Don’t you want to rule side by side?”

“Excuse me?” Hux interjects. “ _Supreme Leader_ Ren, please do remind your female companion that she has not yet proved her loyalty to us.”

Rey turns to him briefly. “I thought I warned you about being disrespectful? You’re trying my patience here, Hux, and trust me. I am being patient.”

“Train first,” Ben decided. “Train with me and we can discuss the issue of leadership. As for Hux, your proof will come at the right opportunity. In the meantime, try not to piss either of us off to ensure your survival—and your position.”

Rey smirks and turns to leave for the viewing panel. Hux takes a deep breath and nods.

“I really do hope you know what you’re dealing with here, Supreme Leader.”

 _I hope so too,_ Ben thinks before following Rey.

“What are you thinking?” He asks as he watches her eyes wander from star to star.

“Funnily enough,” she whispers. “I was thinking about going to Jabiim.”

“What’s in Jabiim?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But something’s pulling me towards it. Something inside me wants me to go there…I can’t explain it.”

Instants like these feature the layers of control the darkness has on her. It slips ever so often, as if she wakes up just enough to show him that she was still there. Ben wondered if this is also what Rey saw during the times they were together, the cracks in the mask…

Talking about Jabiim pulling at her could be a secret message. It might be the key to restore her to the light, or just a fracture of what she stood for. Also, it would serve as a great distraction from finding the Resistance. He could buy them more time if they head towards that small Outer Rim world.

“Do you want to find out?” Ben offers, making her look up at him expectantly. Taking that as a yes, Ben beckons over a commander to put in the coordinates for Jabiim.

“Shouldn’t we take the shuttle? It’ll be much faster,” Rey suggests.

But Ben already made up his plan. For it to work, he first has to take them there—all of them. “There’s no room for the troopers in my shuttle.”

“Yes, there is,” she insists, chuckling a bit.

“No, there isn’t. Not if I’m to take the Knights,” he replies.

Rey straightens up upon hearing this. “Why would you need to bring the Knights?”

“Protection,” he says, nonchalant. But he knew that she had already grown suspicious.

“I don’t like keeping secrets, Ben,” she tells him quietly, almost menacingly.

He leans down just a bit and replies, “I trust you with them. But you need to trust me first. I’m just not sure you’re fully capable of that now.”

“I _do_ trust you,” and she sounds as if she means it. Maybe she does.

Ben decided to risk it then. “Let me in.”

Her eyes stayed on his as several emotions flickered to its surface. The strangest of things happened. Every feeling she had made her eyes change color, from dark to light and from light to dark. It shifts as she struggles within. Ben took note of that for it will serve as a telltale of what she really is, of who she was at the moment.

When Rey nodded, he wasted no time probing her mind. He needed to know what she knows, what she remembers…

But as soon as he entered her thoughts, her feelings clouded him. There was terror inside. It was suppressing her. Ben could feel the struggle, the bruises it was causing her, the inflicted pain and torture. His eyes were open, and he could clearly see the façade unaffected. What she is, what _this_ is—it was an outer layer to prevent anyone from seeing _her_ ; a shell of a person who wanted nothing but help and belong and bring the light. This shell was keeping her trapped, unable to escape.

Ben tried to look beyond the silent screams of help because the only way to truly help her now was to find out how to bring her back. To do that, he must first know what was missing in the first place.

During their union in Corellia, he had only guessed that something had happened. He sees now what she saw; the Resistance, their hate, and then her betrayal. But they were scenes played in a mystical light, foggy and made up. It wasn’t real. Ben could tell so. He knew this trick all too well. His old master—his uncle—had once told him that during his training with Master Yoda, a vision of Vader had shown itself to him. At first, he thought it was real but after their supposed battle, when he thought he had succeeded in decapitating Vader, the person in the mask was him. It was visions like these that test you. Rey felt guilt for having tricked Poe and Leia, so it manifested in the Resistance supposedly sacrificing her, doubting her, hating her…and this is how the darkness won her over.

Rey pulls away, holding his hand away from her face. He didn’t even realize he was reaching out to her until then.

“Now you know,” she says. “The Resistance, you were right about them.”

It was true. Now he knows the reason why, and even how it all happened. He also took note about how it made no difference to Rey that it wasn’t real, the illusion of betrayal. But he still hasn’t figured out what’s missing. What is keeping her under? Why is she in pain when her true self resurfaces? He counted the times he had felt like himself again and not once did it ever feel like someone was repeatedly punching him in the chest.

But then—

“Why do you keep calling me Ben?”

“Do you prefer I call you ‘Supreme Leader’ again?” She asks, incredulous. But she was smiling, teasing.

“No,” he says. “I’m just curious.”

“Well,” she begins. “It’s what I called you when you brought me to Snoke, isn’t it? I almost found it endearing. The gesture you made that day made me realize now that you were doing right by me.”

It didn’t make any sense to him. He would have to figure that out later. He can’t ignore the cries he heard inside. But she was slipping away more and more. She’ll deteriorate faster unless this shell is destroyed. They have to get to Jabiim _now_.

“How much farther?” He asks the commander, taking control of the room.

“An hour before the earliest jump, Supreme Leader,” the commander replies.

“If we don’t get there sooner, be sure that I’ll dispose of any unnecessary baggage.”

Ben might be fighting with the light now, but he cannot deny that his strength still comes from the Dark Side. And he will use it to his every advantage if that meant he could bring his scavenger back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next upload will be a similar scene to my first work. It includes a bed, not-sleeping, and a lot of Reylo.  
> It won't be in the next chapter but it's the third part of the Darth Rey series.

**Author's Note:**

> I've done some research and THIS is exactly what I want to maintain/portray of my version of Rey. 
> 
> "Being classified as the “maiden” and the Beauty does not mean Rey is in any way a damsel in distress or a weak, useless female character who exists to “save” Kylo Ren. She is a young woman who is very much capable of taking care of herself (see: the whole movie). She is a modern maiden created for a 21st century audience who also happens to take the position of the hero, but she is still very much a maiden. Although the Beauty and the Beast trajectory involves the maiden’s influence on the redemption of the Beast, the maiden does not exist to absolve the Beast of all sin. He must do that through atonement (see: Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Character archetypes are not intended to be an insult to feminism. Tropes are only as effective as the writer who manipulates them."
> 
> (link: https://frolickingfizzgig.tumblr.com/post/140633462530/the-hero-the-villain-and-the-modern-fairytale) 
> 
> So to all who still dislike Reylo and see Rey as someone who will only be used as a tool to redeem Ben, this is my take on that. I do not in any way support abusive relationships, abusive men or women, and I definitely do not support belittling female or male heroes in movies that represent so much hope in an individual. I am writing this REYLO fic to show humanity and how there's both good and bad in every person. Also, nothing is set in black and white. A villain is not always simply a villain (in some cases*) and that we must lean towards understanding those who can still be saved instead of condemning them. 
> 
> In this case, it will be Rey.


End file.
